12 Stories
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12 Stories Image
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Universal acclaim - based on 6 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 24 Ratings

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  • Summary: The debut full-length release for the country singer-songwriter who wrote hit songs for the Band Perry, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, and LeAnn Rimes, was produced by Dave Brainard.

Top Track

Hold My Hand
Raven is the color of her long curly hair. Red is the dress that she knows how to wear. Bluest eyes I've ever seen, maybe just a touch of green. Oh,... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Country Weekly
    Oct 22, 2013
    100
    A staggeringly great collection of original tunes that paint vivid, honest portraits of real life, from a uniquely feminine perspective.
  2. AllMusic
    Oct 22, 2013
    90
    Perhaps she's too subtle to be a stadium-filling superstar, but the superb 12 Stories showcases a unique artist who stands firmly, proudly on her own merits.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Oct 22, 2013
    88
    Clark wrote or co-wrote all 12 of these songs with the feistiness of Loretta Lynn and the songwriting gift of Dolly Parton.... This is the country debut of the year.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    Oct 22, 2013
    83
    Clark keeps things edgy, singing about divorce, drugs, jail, and Jesus with matter-of-fact sass and ample twang.[25 Oct/1 Nov 2013, p.100]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. American Songwriter
    Oct 22, 2013
    80
    12 Stories, a record full of humor and pain, remorse and reckoning, is one of the very best country debuts of 2013.
  6. Rolling Stone
    Oct 22, 2013
    70
    Mostly her ear is unerring and her characters true--the kind of talent who makes the term "alt-country" unnecessary.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Kaylee-May001
    Jan 6, 2014
    10
    Brandy Clark is a lyrical genius, with her dark sense of humour that is shown in these songs. I am in love with this album, her songs are likeBrandy Clark is a lyrical genius, with her dark sense of humour that is shown in these songs. I am in love with this album, her songs are like mini-stories, all fitting in to about 3-4 minutes each. One of my favourite songs was released as a single, called Stripes, where she tells a story about a woman seeking revenge on her cheating husband, very tempted to pull the trigger, however stops herself, not because she can't cope with prison, but because she doesn't look good in prison jumpsuits (There's no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion/ and the only thing saving your life/ Is that I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes) Genius!
    Another song is called "Take a little pill", which is about abusing prescription drugs. Drug use is very delicate topic, but when approached seriously, creates sympathy for those caught in a spiral of addiction.
    "What'll keep me out of heaven" is another, telling a story about a woman about to approach the elevator, having to make a decision whether to leave and walk away or to go up to the floor do the deed that will "keep her out of heaven" I love how realistic the whole song is, and how she tells the story. (He's some stranger's husband and I'm some strangers wife)
    I could go on and on but I could be here for hours, so I will stop there.
    Stand-out tracks: EVERYTHING!    … Expand
  2. bkumagai
    Dec 18, 2013
    9
    Brandy Clark has written some of Nashville's most engaging and thoughtful songs for artists like Miranda Lambert ("Mama's Broken Heart") andBrandy Clark has written some of Nashville's most engaging and thoughtful songs for artists like Miranda Lambert ("Mama's Broken Heart") and Kacey Musgraves ("Follow Your Arrow") but she has saved her best for this finely crafted collection. Clark writes with a matter-of-fact directness about the everyday realities of life, creating a dozen 3 1/2 minute short stories that speak of lives gone to seed, love turned to boredom, and people seeking relief from pills, drink and playing the lotto. Clark can turn a phrase like nobody's business the first single, "Stripes", is a revenge fantasy tempered by a woman's unwillingness to trade the satisfaction of disposing of a philandering partner for the indignity of wearing a prison uniform:

    "There's no crime of passion worth a crime of fashion, the only thing saving your life
    Is I don't look good in orange and I hate stripes"

    But Clark's real gift shows in her ability to create vivid moments in her songs a pensive woman waiting for the elevator on the way to a first marital indiscretion ("What'll Keep Me Out of Heaven") or capturing the insecurity of meeting a lover's former girlfriend ("Hold My Hand"). She joins some of music's best storytellers think Patty Griffin or Nanci Griffith in her prime with this masterpiece.    … Expand
  4. Bleat0124
    Jan 15, 2014
    9
    They are here, and they are real. Nashville is releasing some song-writing Mutants and it is scary how good these WOMEN are. The productionThey are here, and they are real. Nashville is releasing some song-writing Mutants and it is scary how good these WOMEN are. The production stays out of the way of the storytelling, and comes out brilliantly on songs like "Hangover" and "Stripes." "Take a little pill" and "Just like him" will break your heart. The question is not is Brandy Clark's 12 story good. The question is who is the queen Clark, Monroe, or Musgraves?… Expand

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